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This episode is sponsored by The PDU Podcast:

Social Media is one of the hot topics these days. As a project manager you are bombarded with articles and podcasts that talk about social media and how you as a project manager should embrace these tools.

Really?

Isn't social media just another way of communicating? Do we really need and believe in all this hoopla and hype? To discuss this a bit more in detail we met up with Elizabeth Harrin who is the author of the book called "Social Media for Project Managers". We discuss how social media is transforming project management these days, how we need to adapt, how social media will drive efficiencies in our work, the "7 C's of social media" and much more.

As always, when we have an author on the program we are giving away two copies of the book. One is reserved to our premium listeners and the other is up for grabs for everyone. To participate, please go to our Facebook Fan Page, look for the note where we mention this giveaway and add a comment. Oh... and click the "like" button too.

Before the interview with Elizabeth we also had the announcement from Terry Doerscher for all those among you who work in a PMO and who would like to participate in an upcoming webcast held by him and Mark Perry. The link to sign up for their event is https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/636373587

Below are the first few pages of the transcript. The complete transcript is available to Premium subscribers only. 

Podcast Introduction

Cornelius Fichtner: This is The Project Management Podcast™. We bring project management to beginners and experts. Find us on the web at www.pm‑podcast.com or send your emails to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

Cornelius Fichtner: Hello and welcome to Episode #162. I am Cornelius Fichtner. This is The Project Management Podcast™, nice to have you with us.

Social Media is one of the hot topics these days. As a project manager, you are bombarded with articles and podcasts that talk about social media and how you as a project manager should embrace all of these tools.

Really?

Isn't social media just another way of just communicating? Do we really need and believe in all of these hoopla and hype? To discuss this a bit more in detail, we met up with Elizabeth Harrin who is the author of the book called "Social Media for Project Managers". We discuss how social media is transforming project management these days, how we need to adapt, how social media will drive efficiency in our work, the "7 C's of social media” and much more.

This episode of The Project Management Podcast™ is sponsored by The PDU Insider™. Well, sort of, because The PDU Insider™ isn't really our sponsor. It’s a free website and newsletter that I launched in July of this year. The mission of The PDU Insider™ is to provide information and education about Professional Development Units, you know PDUs, to holders of PMI® certificates. In this newsletter, it’s a newsletter podcast and videocast, we want to help you understand the CCRS, PMI’s Continuing Certification Requirements Program. We want to shed light on the various categories in which you can earn PDUs and help you find quality PDU activities that not only allow you to earn PDUs but most importantly help you grow as a project manager. So stop by at www.pduinsider.com. We already have 10 issues out and sign up for the free newsletter. Learning about PDUs and earning PDUs was never simpler.

As always, when we have an author on the program, we are giving away two copies of the book. One is reserved to our premium listeners and the other is up for grabs to everybody. To participate, please go to our Facebook fan page at www.facebook.com/pmpodcast, look for the note where we mentioned this giveaway and add a comment. Oh and also click on the "like" button.

Before we get to the interview with Elizabeth, here is a little something for all those among you who work in a PMO and who would like to participate in an upcoming webcast held by two of the top names in the PMO field:

Cornelius Fichtner: So Terry before we start a recording to your predictions for 2011 which will be published in a future episode, you told me that you and Mark Perry have a PMO webcast happening in the near future. Tell us a little bit more about this, who is it for, what are the topics that you’re going to address and how can people sign up?

Terry Doerscher: Sure! Thanks, Cornelius. Actually, you’re exactly right. Mark Perry and I who have been compatriots here for some years, we tend to think a lot in same ways and play off each other very well, are planning to do a webcast titled “The PMO in 2011 Leadership as a Service” on December 16^th and that will be a large webcast. We’re going to talk a little bit, very conversational in nature about a couple of topics that we think are important for people to be thinking about as they go forward to do their 2011 planning and think about what their PMO’s really need for their organizations.

We see a trend in corporate PMOs towards placing more functionality over formality with reduced emphasis on heavy standards and complex methodologies. We’re seeing a lot of PMOs shifting, if you may, a pull versus push operating approach in terms of being more constituent focused and service oriented. This is an interesting one: The emergence of virtual and even part-time PMOs. We’re going to look a little bit at new PMO service areas really getting beyond the idea of IT project portfolio and to other parts of the business and why this “Leadership as a Service” model is emerging and what it means for the future of the corporate PMOs so I think that’s going to be very exciting. We’re going to draw from some of the input that we got from the 2010 PMO Symposium that was held in November and add our own thoughts to that.

Cornelius Fichtner: Alright! And where can people go to sign up for this?

Terry Doerscher: Well, they can go out to www.planview.com and I would imagine that Mark’s going to have something set up out on www.gantthead.com as well.

Cornelius Fichtner: Alright! And I’ll make sure that we have a link in the show notes for people who are interested in participating or rather attending your webinar. Thanks a lot, Terry!

Terry Doerscher: Alright! Thank you, Cornelius.

Cornelius Fichtner: You can find the link to sign up for this PMO webcast on our website, www.pm-podcast.com just look for Episode #162 and click away.

But now, let's come back to our main topic - Social Media with Elizabeth Harrin” and get started with the interview.

Here is what Elizabeth writes about herself on her website www.pm4girls.com. That’s pm4girls.com: “Currently, I’m the Head of IT Programme Delivery for Spire Healthcare. I’m a career project and programme manager with a decade of experience in healthcare and financial services, including two years spent working in Paris, France. I’m the author of Social Media for Project Managers and Project Management in the Real World. I’m also a founding member of PMI’s New Media Council.”

And now, launch Twitter, Facebook and Yelp and let's get social. Enjoy the interview.

Podcast Interview

FeElizabeth Harrin: The Project Management Podcast’s feature Interview: Today with Elizabeth Harrin, author, blogger and speaker.

Cornelius Fichtner: Here we are again, Elizabeth. It’s been 2 years, hasn’t it?

Elizabeth Harrin: It has been 2 years since we were recording a podcast in Denver.

Cornelius Fichtner: Yeah, that was in Denver. And I remember quite vividly that we were sitting there and suddenly you looked up and you went: “There’s a bird just flown through.” And have you noticed here in the main hall, they actually have birds flying around.

Elizabeth Harrin: I have not seen any.

Cornelius Fichtner: Yeah.

Elizabeth Harrin: I have something to look out for those later on.

Cornelius Fichtner: Alright! Let’s move on from birds to social media. You have released, pardon me, you have written the book “Social Media for Project Managers”?

Elizabeth Harrin: Yes.

Cornelius Fichtner: And it’s been released by PMI. Is today the official release date because you’ve been signing it today?

Elizabeth Harrin: Yes. I have.

Cornelius Fichtner: Ah, so today…I got one of the first issues then.

Elizabeth Harrin: You did, indeed. You’re one of the first people who have your book signed.

Cornelius Fichtner: Nice. Wonderful.

Elizabeth Harrin: So yes, that came out officially today and I did a presentation on it for PMI earlier in the day and then yes, I’ve spent the afternoon sitting in a bookshop talking to people.

Cornelius Fichtner: Excellent! So let’s talk about not necessarily your book but about social media in project management. Let me begin by taking the skeptic’s view here. Why bother? Why even bother with social media on a project at all? I mean, forgive me for saying so, but I have a project to deliver, scope, budget and I have work to do for my team and I’m not interested in Yammer and Facebook and Twitter…?

Above are the first few pages of the transcript. The complete transcript is available to Premium subscribers only. Please subscribe to our Premium Podcast to receive a PDF transcript.